In a blog post from makeup and beauty industry analyst Kissura Mondesir called “My Beauty Crutch,” The NPD Group looks into consumers’ attachment to their lip balm. Mondesir, a self-admitted “makeup junkie,” writes, “…there is one product that I prize above all others. I would gladly eschew my entire makeup stash and go cold turkey for lip balm.”

She also describes her needs in a lip balm, noting, “More specifically, lip balm with SPF 15 or higher is a must in my daily makeup routine. I cannot and will not live without it, and I’m not alone in this lip balm love affair. Sixty-three percent of women say that lip balms and lip moisturizers are the skin care items they use the most, a number that has grown since 2009.”

Mondesir weighs in on a few of her balm favorites. “I use an egg-shaped balm before bed and when I wake up. I have one balm in my car and two lip balms on my person at all times—one that smells like a citrusy crème brulée, and another that turns a unique shade of pink when applied. They are my American Express—I never leave home without them. In my mind, it is a sin to be seen with chapped lips, so of course I have plenty of back-ups,” she writes.

“If I were marooned on a desert island and could only bring one beauty product, you know what it would be. And in true makeup junkie fashion, I will smuggle more than one lip balm into that island. Nothing, and I mean nothing, gets between me and my lip balm. Not even my lipstick or gloss,” she concludes.